Shoe with breathable shell

ABSTRACT

A shoe has a shell including a front part, a rear part, and two opposite intermediate parts extending between the front and rear parts. The shell has a flexible corrugated portion which includes a plurality of crests and valleys that extend along a direction transverse to a line parallel to a front-to-rear direction of the shell, and a plurality of vent holes formed in the corrugated portion. The corrugated portion is extendable and compressible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a shoe, more particularly to a shoe with a breathable shell.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional ventilated shoe disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,690 is shown to include an upper unit 1 having a plurality of vent holes 102 formed in intermediate lateral portions 101 thereof, and a midsole unit formed with a plurality of openings (not shown) which correspond in position to the vent holes 102 so as to enable circulation of air through the upper unit 1. Although such a shoe permits ventilation, the air within the shoe cannot be effectively expelled to the outside. That is, the ventilating effect of the shoe is not satisfactory.

Referring to FIG. 2, in another breathable shoe disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,438, a mechanical air pump 3 is mounted on a toe part of an upper unit 2 such that when the wearer walks, the pumping action of the air pump 3 helps drive the air within the shoe to the outside, thereby dissipating the bad odor of the foot, and the heat and moisture built up within the shoe to the outside. However, such a shoe is complicated and expensive to manufacture.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,652 discloses a shoe including a shell having an upper part provided with a corrugated portion so as to improve the comfort to the wearer. However, the shoe does not provide a ventilating effect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a shoe with a breathable shell having a flexible corrugated portion formed with vent holes to permit ventilation of the shoe when the wearer moves.

Accordingly, a shoe of this invention comprises a shell which includes a front part, a rear part, and two opposite intermediate parts extending between the front and rear parts. The shell has a flexible corrugated portion which includes a plurality of crests and valleys that extend along a direction transverse to a line parallel to a front-to-rear direction of the shell, and a plurality of vent holes formed in the corrugated portion. The corrugated portion is extendable and compressible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional shoe with an upper unit provided with vent holes;

FIG. 2 is a schematic, partly sectional view of another conventional shoe with an upper unit provided with a mechanical air pump;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of a shoe according to this invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, illustrating a flexible corrugated portion a shell of the first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing how the shell of the first preferred embodiment flexes;

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5, illustrating how air is expelled through the flexible corrugated portion of the shell of the first preferred embodiment when the latter is compressed during flexing of the shell;

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a flexible corrugated portion of a shell of the second preferred embodiment according to this invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but illustrating the flexible corrugated portion in a compressed state;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the third preferred embodiment of a shoe according to this invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the fourth preferred embodiment of a shoe according to this invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the fifth preferred embodiment of a shoe according to this invention; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view of a tongue of a shell of the fifth preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the preferred embodiment of a shoe 100 according to the present invention is shown to include a sole unit 10 and a shell 20 secured to the sole unit 10.

The shell 20 has a front part 110 corresponding to a toe part of the shoe 100, a rear part 120 opposite to the front part 110 and corresponding to a heel part of the shoe 100, and two opposite intermediate parts 130, 140 extending between the front and rear parts 110, 120. The shell 20 further has opposite upper and lower surfaces 21, 22, a cutout part 23 formed in the front part 110 thereof and extending from the lower surface 22 to the upper surface 21, a bounding edge confining the cutout part 23, and a flexible corrugated portion 30 which has a peripheral end connected to the bounding edge. In this embodiment, the bounding edge includes a front edge 232 extending forwardly of the corrugated portion 30, and a rear edge 233 extending rearwardly of the corrugated portion 30.

The corrugated portion 30 is made of a material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic (plastic or rubber) material, natural leather, synthetic leather, and a fabric material, and has a peripheral end connected to the bounding edge of the shell 20. In this embodiment, the corrugated portion 30 has first and second peripheral edges 31, 32 connected respectively to the front and rear edges 232, 233 of the bounding edge by conventional techniques, such as sewing, adhesive bonding, and heat bonding. The corrugated portion 30 includes a plurality of crests 331 and valleys 332 that extend along a direction transverse to a line parallel to a front-to-rear direction of the shell 20, and a plurality of vent holes 34 formed in the corrugated portion 30. The corrugated portion 30 may be a molded body formed by a molding process. Alternatively, the corrugated portion 30 may be composed of a plurality of separate pieces. In this embodiment, the corrugated portion 30 extends across the shell 20 from the intermediate part 130 to the intermediate part 140, and is provided in the front part 110 of the shell 20 corresponding in position to an instep of the wearer. The vent holes 34 are through holes which may be formed in the corrugated portion 30 at any suitable positions to permit communication between the interior of the shoe 100 and the ambient air.

By virtue of the aforesaid construction, when the front part 110 is flexed and moved relative to the rear part 120 during walking of the wearer, the corrugated portion 30 will be extended and compressed along the front-to-rear direction so that the front and rear edges 232, 233 of the bounding edge move toward and away from each other (see FIGS. 4 to 6). When the corrugated portion 30 is compressed (see FIGS. 5 and 6), the air within the shoe 100 will be forced out through the vent holes 34 to the outside, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 6. When the corrugated portion 30 is thereafter extended, the ambient air is drawn into the shoe 100 through the vent holes 34. In other words, the present invention utilizes the flexing and unflexing actions of the shell 20 at the corrugated portion 30 during walking of the wearer to achieve exchange of air between the air inside the shoe 100 and the ambient air to thereby expel the heat, moisture, and bad odor pent-up within the shoe 100.

In addition to having the capability to ventilate the shoe 10, the corrugated portion 30 also facilitates flexing of the shell 20. Moreover, due to the arrangement of the corrugated portion 30 in the front part 110 of the shell 20 where the shell 20 will be bent when the user flexes his/her foot during walking, generation of undesirable creases at the front part 110 of the shell 20 can be avoided.

It is worth noting that a waterproof breathable film (not shown) can be applied to an inner surface of the corrugated portion 30 to provide waterproofing and ventilating functions when the shoe 100 is adapted for use as a waterproof shoe.

Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, the corrugated portion 30′ of the shell 20 of the second preferred embodiment of a shoe according to this invention is shown to be substantially similar to that of the first preferred embodiment in construction. The major difference therebetween resides in that, in addition to the vent holes 34′, additional vent holes 341′ are formed at the peripheral end of the corrugated portion 30′ by sewing the first and second edges 31′, 32′ of the corrugated portion 30′ to the front and rear edges 232, 233 in such a manner as to form the vent holes 341′ between the front edge 232 and the first edge 31′ and between the rear edge 233 and the second edge 32′. With the provision of the vent holes 341′, ventilation of the shoe according to this invention can be further enhanced.

Certainly, the corrugated portion 30′ can be formed from a plurality of separate pieces connected together by sewing, and the vent holes 34′ are holes through which the sewing threads pass (not shown).

FIG. 10 shows the third preferred embodiment of a shoe 100′ according to this invention. As shown, the shoe 100′ is in the form of a boot having a shell 200 which is composed of a lower 200A and an upper 200B. A corrugated portion 300 is provided in a front part 110′ of the lower 200A corresponding in position to the instep of the wearer so as to permit circulation of air through the corrugated portion 300 when the wearer walks or squats.

Referring to FIG. 11, the fourth preferred embodiment of a shoe 100′ according to this invention is also in the form of a boot, and differs from the third preferred embodiment mainly in that the corrugated portion 300′ is provided in the rear part 120′ of the shell 200 at a location above the heel of the wearer. As such, when the wearer walks or squats, the shoe 100′ can be ventilated.

Referring to FIG. 12, the fifth preferred embodiment of a shoe 100″ according to this invention is also in the form of a boot, and differs from the previous preferred embodiments mainly in that the shell 200′ further includes a tongue 150, and that the corrugated portion 300″ is provided in the tongue 150. Referring to FIG. 13, the tongue 150 may include a soft and porous filler 151 disposed between the corrugated portion 300′ and a lining 152 to provide comfort as well as ventilation.

In summary, with the arrangement of the corrugated portion at the front part or the rear part of the shell, the shoe of this invention can virtually breathe, and can bend or flex easily without creating unsightly creases on the shell.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. A shoe comprising: a shell including a front part, a rear part, and two opposite intermediate parts extending between said front and rear parts, said shell having a flexible corrugated portion which includes a plurality of crests and valleys that extend along a direction transverse to a line parallel to a front-to-rear direction of said shell, and a plurality of vent holes formed in said corrugated portion, said corrugated portion being extendable and compressible.
 2. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said corrugated portion is a molded body which is formed by a molding process.
 3. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said corrugated portion is composed of a plurality of separate pieces.
 4. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shell further has a cutout part and a bounding edge confining said cutout part, said flexible corrugated portion having a peripheral end connected to said bounding edge.
 5. The shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said bounding edge includes a front edge extending forwardly of said corrugated portion and a rear edge extending rearwardly of said corrugated portion, said front and rear edges being movable toward and away from each other when said front part is flexed and moved relative said rear part.
 6. The shoe as claimed in claim 4, wherein said vent holes are formed at said peripheral end of said corrugated portion at a junction of said peripheral end and said bounding edge.
 7. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said corrugated portion is provided in said front part of said shell corresponding in position to an instep of a wearer.
 8. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said corrugated portion is provided in said rear part of said shell.
 9. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said corrugated portion is made of a material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic material, natural leather, synthetic leather, and a fabric material.
 10. The shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shell further includes a tongue in said front part, said corrugated portion being provided in said tongue. 